Two People in a Tea Shop
by Sparky1834
Summary: Katara visits the new tea shop The Jasmine Dragon and spots Zuko in the process. She wants to confront him, except something is very wrong. He's smiling. ZukoxJin one-shot.


**A/N:** I had this story in my head the other night and had to get it out. Poor Jin doesn't get enough attention. Hope you enjoy this little one-shot. I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

Katara found a strange enjoyment in walking around the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. There were so many people to watch, so many shops to browse, and so many new wonders to see. It was no surprise it was the capital city of the Earth Kingdom. There had to have been thousands of people here, with a thriving culture and sense of belonging. The city spanned miles. She was admittedly a little jealous. The South Pole seemed like a single drop in a whole ocean compared to Ba Sing Se.

Of course, she shouldn't dilly-dally today. She had an important message to bring to King Kuei. And yet, she couldn't help but take her time and explore the city a bit. Aang had gone off to find a guru, Sokka left to meet up with Dad, and Toph went away to reunite with her family. All that was left of the gang was Katara and Momo. She didn't mind the company; in fact, she enjoyed petting his ears and listening to his quiet chatters.

She walked by the entrance to a tea shop and stopped. "'The Jasmine Dragon?' How about a little tea before we see the king, Momo?" She grinned as she ruffled his ears and he leaned into her hand. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

"Leaf me alone!" the all-too-familiar voice from inside the shop made her stop. Her eyes shot wide open, and she reflexively moved into a defensive stance. She knew that voice anywhere. It was the same voice that had chased Aang for months now.

 _Zuko!_

Katara looked through the windows of the shop, scanning for the enemy she knew she'd see. Her eyes stopped when she saw him at a table close to the front window. His scar was a dead giveaway. She debated running in there and telling him off, but she decided to have more caution. Something was different about this situation. He was sitting across the table from a girl, and a pretty one at that. She was in a green dress, and her ebony elbow-length hair was partially pinned up in loops. Her face looked young but mature. And she was giggling. And her hand was on top of his on the table. Zuko and the girl were smiling at each other.

Katara couldn't help but gasp in surprise. _Is Zuko on a date?!_ Fearing she'd draw attention to herself, she ran around the corner into an alley and sat below another window to the shop. Momo lied down next to her, feigning taking a nap. The window was open, and she could hear everything the two people were saying. She leaned her head so that her ear could be more directed towards the window. She didn't care that she was spying. She had to know what Zuko was doing in Ba Sing Se, and with a _girl_ of all people.

"I can see why that's your uncle's favorite joke. It's cute when you tell it, Lee." The girl giggled again.

 _Lee? What a liar._

"Thanks," Zuko responded. He sounded hesitant. "Actually, Jin, there's something I need to tell you."

"…Okay, sure."

"My name…isn't Lee. It's…Zuko."

"…And?" The girl, Jin, asked quietly.

"Well?" Zuko retorted, "Don't you know that name? Shouldn't you be running away from me right now?" He might have pounded the table, but Katara didn't dare poke her head about the window to check.

Jin sounded innocent in her response. "No," she took a sip from her tea. "Why should I?"

Katara was just as surprised as Zuko. Did this girl not know who "Zuko" was? That he was a volatile, irrational prince from the Fire Nation that wouldn't rest until he captured the Avatar? That he was ruthless, and rude, and didn't care for anyone but himself?

"Oh." Zuko's voice was calm. "Never mind, then."

There was a brief silence at the table, but Zuko spoke up again.

"Jin, I… I'm not just a refugee. I'm from the Fire Nation."

"So?" Jin replied. "Lots of people are from the Fire Nation. That doesn't make you less of a person." Katara had to stop herself from snorting. "What made you leave?"

Katara leaned slightly closer to the window. She was also interested in his answer. Momo perked up at her movement, and she gave him some berries to keep him occupied.

"Well, my mother…she was taken away from me, and my father didn't want me. So, I've been travelling around with my uncle for three years now, looking for…"

 _The Avatar._

"…second chances." Zuko corrected Katara's thoughts.

 _Hmph._

"Is that…?" Jin started.

"What?"

"Is that where you got your scar?" She asked delicately.

Zuko's response was more muffled, as if he dropped his head down to his chest. "Yes."

"Do you ever want to go back to your home?"

"More than anything," his voice sounded almost hopeful. "But, I'm not welcome there. I can't go back. Not yet."

"Your memories of home – they hurt, don't they?" Her voice was so calming. Katara could hear the feelings she conveyed.

Zuko gave a breathy chuckle. "Yeah."

It became quiet for a few moments, until Zuko spoke again. "Are you a refugee, too?" He was trying to change the subject.

"No, I grew up here in Ba Sing Se. I love it here, even though I've never really been anywhere else to compare it to. I don't get to travel outside of the city."

"You're not missing much," Zuko added.

Jin giggled. "Oh, I bet. _Surely_ there's nothing _important_ out there beyond the wall." Something about her laugh must have been contagious, because Zuko laughed too.

 _He does that?_

"Well, tell me more about your life in Ba Sing Se, then." Zuko responded.

Jin took a while to reply, and when she did, she was more somber. "Growing up was all right. My mother was a seamstress, and my father was a groundskeeper for an Upper Ring family."

"But you were living in the Lower Ring when we met. What made you go there?" Zuko asked.

"I had sort of a falling out with my parents," she replied. "I wanted to go to school, but my family couldn't afford it. So, I moved out to live by myself and got a job in the Lower Ring. I needed the money."

"You lived in the Lower Ring all by yourself? But you're only a teenager!"

"So are you," she retorted.

Zuko made a _hmph_ , "Yeah."

"Maybe one day I'll have enough money to go to school." She sounded like she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"I believe in you, Jin. You're smart – you'll find a way." Zuko said softly.

 _Wow, is Zuko actually being nice?_

"Thanks, Lee," she hesitated, "or, Zuko."

"Nephew!" Iroh's voice echoed through the tea shop but came closer to the window above Katara. "Your lunch break is over. I'm sorry, but you'll have to say goodbye to the pretty lady for now. It's good to see you, Jin. You are always welcome here on your days off."

"Likewise, Mushi. I'll see you around, I'm sure." She scooted her chair and coins were shuffled around between hands.

Katara decided to stand up as well. She walked back into the main street, feigning ignorance to the intimate conversation she had just overheard. She didn't know what to do with all the new information. Zuko was a terrible person, and yet he had seemed so…so _normal_. Had he changed, or was he faking it? She decided that she would pay the Jasmine Dragon another visit, at closing time, so that there would be no one else in the shop when she would confront Zuko and his uncle.

Momo perched himself on Katara's shoulder as she marched across the street to a dress shop. She walked right by Jin, who had just exited the Jasmine Dragon. She got a good look of her face. Jin was beaming. And La, Katara was almost happy for Zuko, that he had found a pretty girl to become friends with. _No, stop it. Why should he be happy?_ , she thought. But Jin was something else, even Katara had to admit that. Jin had the poise and face of youth but the delicacy of someone who had had a rough upbringing. And yet, there was something in her eyes that made Katara stop. Joy. Love. Perhaps one day, Katara would have someone that makes her feel the way Zuko made Jin feel.

* * *

After Katara had meandered through the halls of the Earth King's palace and given her message to Kuei, she still had an evening's worth of spare time. She really wanted to go back to the Jasmine Dragon and keep an eye out for Zuko and Iroh. They had to be watched. Now that she knew of their existence in Ba Sing Se, she felt the need to keep surveillance on them. She couldn't afford any more surprise attacks.

But it was barely dusk, and she knew it wouldn't be closing time for the tea shop. So, she went back to the house that had been given to the Avatar's group. The evening was pretty dull without Toph's caustic jokes or Sokka's incessant planning. She could only play with Momo for so long before she got bored. She scanned the house and picked out a book from a bookshelf near the front door. The title almost made her feel giddy: _Love Amongst the Dragons_. She was intrigued, and she started reading. Not wanting to lose track of time, she only read a few chapters. It was dark now, and she had somewhere to be. She filled up her water skin before leaving the house, with Momo in tow on her shoulder.

Finding a tram to the tea shop was easy. Once she was in the main square, it was a brief walk from the station to the Jasmine Dragon. She walked up to the front windows. The lights inside were on, but there were no customers. Zuko and Iroh were wiping tables.

Katara was not in the mood for tact. She turned the doorknob and let the door swing open. She stood in the doorway, waiting for them to react.

Iroh spoke, keeping his back to her, "We will be with you in one mo—"

Zuko had reacted fast. The sound of swords unsheathing broke Iroh's sentence. Zuko was in a fighting stance, one sword in each hand. He was glaring at Katara.

"Wait, I don't want to fight you!" Katara unlatched her water skin and tossed it onto the ground. Momo followed after it, pawing it. She held her hands up in the air. "Really."

"What are you doing here?" Zuko yelled.

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here?" she yelled back. Two could play at this game. "What are you doing sneaking around in Ba Sing Se?"

"Where is he? Where's the Avatar?"

Iroh appeared in between them, ever the intermediary. "Now, Nephew, that is not how we treat a customer. She is obviously not here to cause trouble." He gave Zuko a hardened glance.

Zuko was still poised, ready to pounce. Iroh shook his head. "Put the swords away, Zuko."

Zuko growled but conceded. He kept his disgruntled eyes on Katara.

"Sit down, both of you," Iroh commanded as he walked towards the counter. "Let us have some tea."

Katara relented and sat down at a table, and Zuko sat at the corner opposite to hers, facing her.

Iroh came back with a tray of cups of tea. He sat across Katara. "My nephew begs a very good question, young lady. Why are you here? If you do not want to cause trouble, you should not have come inside."

Katara had to choose her words carefully, yet she had to be honest. She probably shouldn't mention that she wants to keep surveillance on them. She quickly came up with another purpose in coming, one that Iroh would surely understand.

"I came to…check on you. I wanted to see if you were all right."

"Huh?" Iroh asked, perplexed. Zuko also looked confused.

She looked at Zuko. "When we were fighting your sister in that abandoned village," she looked back at Iroh, "and she attacked you, I wanted to help. I have healing abilities. But we parted ways, so I wasn't able to get to you."

"My dear girl," Iroh gave her a small smile, "Thank you for your concern. I am fine. My nephew took good care of me."

"Good, I'm glad," Katara smiled back.

"How did you know we were here?" Zuko demanded, not caring about his uncle's cordiality.

Katara's face flushed. "I…I didn't know until this afternoon. I was walking around town and happened upon the shop. I debated stopping for some tea, but then I saw you. You were on your lunch break, apparently."

Zuko's cheeks turned pink. "You saw that?" He sounded embarrassed.

"I didn't just see. I heard you talking, too…"

"You _what_? Were you spying? What did you hear?" He was obviously flustered.

She gave him a teasing smile, holding her cup to her lips. "Oh, nothing important, just a pleasant conversation between two people in a tea shop."

Zuko sounded a _hmph_ , and it was quiet for a while. Iroh and Katara drank their tea while Zuko mulled beside them.

"She's beautiful," Katara finally spoke up, voicing her thoughts.

Zuko's eyes got wide as he looked at her in surprise. His face blushed. He glanced at his uncle and looked down. "I know."

Iroh patted Zuko's back. "She is very lovely, and my nephew is a gentler soul than he was before. They are becoming close friends."

"She seems to really like you," Katara added, eyes never leaving Zuko.

Zuko kept his head down. "I know," he repeated. "But I can't live like this forever. I'm just going to end up breaking her heart. The closer we get, the more it's going to hurt to let go."

"You might as well make the most of your friendship, then." Katara reassured him. _Why am I helping him?_ "Girls like her are one-of-a-kind. You may not get many more opportunities." Her last words came out with the wrong tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zuko demanded.

"It's just that, well, you're not exactly, um…" she glanced at Iroh and back at Zuko, "personable."

Zuko slammed a fist on the table, irate. "I can be personable!"

Iroh chuckled, raising his cup to drink. "Indeed, Nephew. Very personable indeed."

Zuko clenched a fist again and mumbled.

Katara interrupted his angry reverie. "Zuko," he stole a look at her, "I just want you to know that I saw her, Jin, walk out of the tea shop this afternoon after her time with you. She was radiant, almost glowing, like she'd never been that happy in her entire life. And honestly, I'm a little jealous that she has someone that makes her feel that way. You are _very_ lucky to have her. Please don't take her for granted, for her sake."

He nodded, at a loss for words.

Iroh spoke for Zuko, "Thank you for telling us this, miss Katara."

Katara stood slowly. "You're welcome. I should probably be going now. Thanks for the tea, Iroh. It was amazing. I can see why you have your own tea shop." She fiddled in her pocket for some coins. "Here," she said as she put them on the table.

"Oh, no, I can't take that. The tea's on the house. Call it a nice evening with friends." Iroh smiled at her.

"I'm sorry I can't say the same," Katara said, looking at Zuko. He would never be her friend.

"I understand," Iroh replied. "If you could, though, please don't tell anyone we're here."

"Of course," Katara replied. "But I can't make any guarantees."

She headed to the front door to pick up her water skin and a snoozing Momo. Her hand touched the doorknob and she turned around. "Take care, Iroh," she nodded towards them, "Zuko."

Iroh's voice followed her as she opened the door and stepped outside. "Likewise."

Katara easily found her way back home with the help of the moon. _What an interesting day_ , she thought as she opened her own front door. She made her way to her bed and plopped down. Would she tell everyone when they got back? If she visited the Jasmine Dragon again, Katara wouldn't be able to lie about it to Toph. Against her better judgement, she decided she would go back sometime. The tea was excellent. And with Iroh there, the company wasn't so bad, either.


End file.
